Evangelical church in Clifton wins right to build sanctuary

Members of the House of Fire Christian Church praying in a circle during Sunday morning services at temporary quarters at the Looking Glass Children's Center in Bloomfield.

CLIFTON — They spent tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees, fielded dozens of complaints and waited for more than a decade. But for members of the House of Fire Christian Church, persistence paid off.

The House of Fire, a small evangelical congregation of Italian-Americans, two weeks ago won a protracted court battle over whether it could build a sanctuary on a tiny vacant lot off a busy city street.

The Rev. Placido Lentini, who since 2002 has led the church from a rented room in a Bloomfield children's center, said he was delighted that his parishioners will be able to worship in a place of their own in a few months.

"We've been praying for 12 years for this dream to become reality," Lentini said last week as he stood near mountains of dirt at the church property on Grove Street. "Thank God it will become reality soon."

The Clifton zoning board twice denied the parish's application, most recently arguing that the lot wasn't big enough to provide adequate parking. On Dec. 31, a state appeals court issued a strongly worded opinion upholding a lower court ruling overturning the zoning board's decision, calling it "arbitrary, capricious and a manifest abuse of its discretionary authority."

Neighboring residents, who carried on the latest legal challenge, said they worry about traffic jams and accidents as 40-plus parishioners make K-turns to squeeze into 18 spots each Sunday.

"The traffic along here is a nightmare already," said Sharron Lebitsch, who has lived next door to the church's property for 43 years. "Who knows what more that's going to bring."

The church has agreed to enlist a volunteer attendant to direct traffic and insists there will be no problems. Lentini said there are enough parking spaces, and parishioners will make accommodations by car-pooling on holidays.

House of Fire evolved from the Italian Christian Church, established in Paterson in 1939. It held services in Italian until the late 1990s, when the immigrant population had declined and Lentini, a native of Sicily, took over as pastor from his father.

Around the same time, the church decided to move from its location on Paterson Avenue because of a lack of parking in the area. In 2001, it purchased a dilapidated house at 835 Grove St. in Clifton and changed the church's name to House of Fire because of a name conflict with another congregation.

Lentini said the name sounds harsh but was derived from Scripture that uses fire as a symbol for God.

"Our goal is to have a place where God is present," he said. "We live in a world where there's a lot of stress and pressure. We want a place where God can help with these problems."

House of Fire submitted its first application to the Clifton zoning board in 2002 and met opposition from hundreds of neighbors. The board denied the application because of zoning variances needed for parking and access to the site.

Multiple lawsuits were heard over the issue before the zoning board rejected the plan again, citing the lack of room for a parking lot.

In 2011, a state judge sided with the church and gave the go-ahead for construction. Residents appealed, ultimately losing in last month's decision.

House of Fire's attorney, Robert Pansulla, said neighbors' objections were unreasonable and reflected the not-in-my-back-yard mentality.

"They were complaining about the visual, the purported impact," he said. "The church use was conditionally permitted for the zoning. That's where churches belong — they belong in neighborhoods."

Frank Carlet, an attorney who represented the neighbors, said his clients will not bring a challenge to the state Supreme Court, but he said the traffic situation will be disastrous for the neighborhood. Lebitsch said she hopes the church will live up to its promise of having a parking monitor and agreement with the city not to rent the church or hold special events there during the week.

House of Fire spent about $100,000 on attorney's fees, Lentini said.

The church's builder demolished the home on the property last year in anticipation of a favorable court ruling. Much work remains, but Lentini said he hopes a 2,400-square-foot sanctuary, emblazoned with a red glass cross, will be erected there this year.

"To finally have it here is a time of peace," parishioner John Gagliano said as he walked in the snow-covered crater where the church will soon stand. "No more stress."